15.—Rowe still stopped steadily, but was sadly short in the returns. As we have before said, his blows did not go from the shoulder, but partook of the flip-flap character of the sparring school. Broome advanced and retreated, and at last, springing in, caught Rowe in the mark with his left, and gave the “first knock down.”
16 to 19.—Broome made the fighting, got in his left, and threw his man in all these rounds.
20.—Rowe maintained his steadiness amazingly. He stopped with precision, and was getting down from Broome’s onslaught when Harry seized him, lifted him by sheer strength, and threw him.
21.—Rowe getting slow, and apparently vexed at not being able to get his man to hitting distance. Broome played half-round to the right, then to the left. Rowe went in desperately and forced a rally, in which he got home his right a sounder on Broome’s jaw, and both were down, amidst the uproarious cheers of the East-enders, who seemed “thankful for small mercies.”
22.—Broome showed symptoms of fatigue; he coughed and hemmed, stepped back, and rubbed his arms, leisurely surveying his antagonist. “Don’t be gammoned,” said Bill Hayes; Rowe nodded his head assentingly. As Rowe would not advance Broome went to him, and in some sharp exchanges hit hardest and oftenest. Broome’s right came in sharp contact with Rowe’s sconce as he was going down, and Broome was seen pulling at his right little finger, to which some mischance had happened.
23.—On coming to the scratch Broome again sparred à la distance. “Go in,” cried Crawley to Rowe; “his hands are gone, it’s all your own.” This was an error; “the wish was father to the thought,” for Harry frustrated his adversary’s attempt by sending his left slap in Rowe’s mazzard, hit him with the supposed disabled right in the ribs, closed, and got him down.
24.—Broome popped in his left, closed, and rolled over his man as he got down.
25.—Rowe, getting slower and slower, seemed to content himself with guarding his head and ribs, and shifting. Broome bided his time, but at length got home, and muzzled poor Joe, who went to grass somehow.
26.—As before, Rowe on the defensive, stopping, but not returning. Broome followed him up, forced him on to the ropes, and rolled over with him.
27th and last.—Broome came to the scratch cheerfully; his seconds certainly sent him up remarkably clean. Although Rowe, as before, stopped an experimental left-hander or two, Harry gave him two severe smashers on the mouth and cheek, then closing as Rowe was trying to get down, he gave him the crook, and fell heavily on him. It was all over. Rowe, though still strong on his legs, declined to continue the contest; and Bill Hayes threw up the sponge in token of defeat. Young Harry was highly elated. He jumped about the ring like a parched pea in a frying-pan, shook hands with his opponent, and performed a coup de théâtre by pressing the winning-colours to his lips, and then waving them round his head. At this moment Harry showed no further discolouration of the face than a blue mark under the left eye. One of the bones of his right-hand, however, was broken, and from that round it was of little effectual service, though he used it several times. The fight lasted exactly fifty-seven minutes, and from first to last was conducted with the utmost fairness, and without the slightest interruption from the surrounding multitude, which was largely increased by the accession of several Whitsun clubs, who were celebrating their holiday in the neighbourhood.